| F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940), a well-known American writer in the 1920s, is widely lauded as the spokesman and laureate of the "Jazz Age", whose works presents a vivid picture of the aura of that historical period. The Great Gatsby, his magnum opus, is generally considered as a modern classic in American literature. T. S. Eliot recommended The Great Gatsby as "the first step that American fiction has taken since Henry James" (Wilson,1993:310). Ever since its publication, this novel has received interest from both readers and critics. A number of critical essays concerning this novel deal with it from the aspect of either writing craftsmanship, or its unique vision of the American dream, its hope and disenchantment. In recent years, some critics have applied modern literary critical theories to approach this fiction like feminism, psychoanalysis, new historicism etc. Up to now, however, there is almost no critical works on this novel from the perspective of Karl Marx's money fetishism theory.The concept of money fetishism is an important component in Marxism, which aims to criticize a social phenomenon in which people worship money and regard money as their most important and their only pursuit. The theme of money is very evident in The Great Gatsby, from various symbols and minor details associated with money, to the protagonist Gatsby's attitudes towards money. However, how money becomes a decisive factor in the three major female characters'lives should not be neglected and why Fitzgerald depicts all the female images in this fiction as money-dominated are subjects worth being elaborated on. So this thesis, based on Karl Marx's theory about money fetishism and by means of close reading, is an attempt to reveal a money-oriented America in the 1920s in which the three main female characters are reduced to slaves to money and to analyze the root reasons for Gatsby's characterization and perception of women in such a way.The thesis starts with an introduction to Fitzgerald and his works. It also provides a summary of the previous critical reviews about The Great Gatsby, so as to equip our reading of the text from the perspective of money fetishism with a broad and rich critical background. It also introduces the historical background of the fiction with an emphasis on women's roles in the society at that age. Then Chapter 2 offers a full-scale introduction to the theory of money fetishism and the universal significance of this theme, especially its importance to China. Then this part discusses the feasibility of the application of the money fetishism theory to the analysis of The Great Gatsby. Chapter 3 discloses the money consciousness filled in the mind of the three major female characters, Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Myrtle Wilson who are from different social classes. This part also points out the consequences which the three women's money-driven behavior has contributed to, namely, moral corruption. Relating to Fitzgerald's own life experiences, Chapter 4 analyzes the reasons why the author perceives and depicts women images in such a negative way. Chapter 5 draws a conclusion that the thought of money fetishism will surely cause serious consequences including one's moral decadence, self-destruction and the appearance of an eroded society. Except the pursuit for money and pleasure, human beings should have lofty spiritual seeking and keep the sense of social morals and ethics.
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